As we glance ahead to Week 8 of the 2013 NFL season, just one of the NFC East teams are feeling great. The Dallas Cowboys stand atop the division, but will a trip to Detroit seal Jason Garrett’s fate? After their first win of 2013 the Giants’ have an appetite to sate, but will a date with Philadelphia reset their winning state? Washington is back in the mix after beating Chicago out of the gate, but they may be left out of the playoff race if their effort is proved too little too late. Denver is next up on the Redskins slate, but Peyton Manning may re-write the rules of the modern passing offense at this rate. This is no “Canterbury Tale” and we’re out of time for rhymes, but keep reading NFL fans, as the correct predictions for Week 8 will be mine.
Dallas Cowboys(4-3) @ Detroit Lions(4-3)
As you can probably tell I’m no poet, like UOENEO it. Fresh off a 17-3 win on the road in Philadelphia, Dallas continues its tour of the country with a pit-stop in the motor city. In a battle of slightly less than spectacular gunslingers, Tony Romo will battle Matthew Stafford to see who is truly the best of the second-tier starting quarterbacks in the NFL. What is not to love about this matchup? Dez Bryant opposite Calvin Johnson within two prolific offenses facing mediocre defenses; a contest that should make for a shootout in the 313. Not that it would be anything new in Detroit. Week 8 marks the halfway point of the NFL season for teams that have yet to go on bye, and the remainder of the schedule should show who are contenders and pretenders in the NFC.
With DeMarco Murray likely to miss yet another game due to injury, the Cowboys will be outgunned on the ground as Joique Bell and Reggie Bush are an impressive tandem, yet average just over 91 yards per game. Perhaps the only group with more weapons than the Lions offense is their fan base. Where the Lions find the majority of their success using running backs is in the passing game, as part of the 5th ranked vertical offense in the league. Monte Kiffin’s Tampa-2 will be a tough test for Detroit’s receiving corps, though the Lions’ versatility out of the backfield is a mismatch for the Dallas defense. The Cowboys’ offensive line will face a tremendous challenge as well, Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh are one of the most ferocious tandems of tackles in the game today and will wreak havoc in the backfield if left unchecked. If the Cowboys cannot find a way to offset the losses of Murray and Demarcus Ware their stay in the motor city will be less fortuitous than they would have imagined.
Prediction: Lions 37 Cowboys 31
The main thing we learned about Dallas last week in Philadelphia was that this is a mediocre unit even while playing its best. Detroit is building towards Super Bowl contention, something that is nothing more than a pipe dream for the Cowboys. Expect heavy doses of Stafford matched by some tough runs by Bell and Bush, and the Lions will defeat the Cowboys in a firefight, which should make Lions’ fans feel right at home
.
Washington Redskins(2-4) @ Denver Broncos(6-1)
Peyton Manning’s dream of an undefeated season is over, but the Broncos playoffs hopes are far from finished. Just one game behind the last undefeated team in the NFL, Denver will be geared up for a home showdown against the visiting Redskins. While Robert Griffin III ‘s offense showed shades of the greatness it displayed in 2012 on Sunday against Chicago, Denver’s defense is a major step up from a disappointing Bears’ unit. Though Alfred Morris and Roy Helu found success at home against the Bears, the Broncos’ offense scores at a pace that may leave the top rushing team from a season ago in the dust. Washington will have to score early and often if they hope to keep up with the NFL’s best offensive unit.
Take the best offense in the league run by Peyton Manning and put it up against a unit giving up 262.8 yards per game, and you have a recipe for disaster for Mike Shanahan’s team. With an abundance of weapons like Wes Welker Eric Decker and Julius Thomas at Manning’s disposal, if the Redskins cannot get pressure on Peyton, they have no hope. The key to this game will be the play of Brian Orakpo which contrary to popular belief, does not actually mean “sack”. Despite the emergence of Washington’s second round pick, tight end Jordan Reed , it would be a long shot to expect Washington’s offense to be able to keep up with Denver’s Joneses.
Prediction: Broncos 44 Redskins 27
There may be no worse matchup in sports than going against an angry Peyton Manning. The Broncos are coming off their first loss of the season, in the house that Peyton built. Denver will continue its campaign for home field advantage on their road to the Super Bowl, and should dispatch of the underperforming Redskins with ease. Washington’s offense is simply not built to keep up with the explosiveness of the Broncos offensive repertoire, and the Redskins will fall at the hands of the greatest quarterback in the league today.
New York Giants(1-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles(3-4)
In the first meeting between these NFC East rivals, Philadelphia entered Coughlin’s casa, and walked out with its head held high. In a game that was never as close as the score dictated, the Eagles outlasted the Giants comeback attempts, and won 36-21. Sunday’s contest should follow a similar path of the first, as neither of these teams has changed much since the two met last. Sure, David Baas was placed on IR and the Giants also traded for linebacker Jon Beason formerly of the Panthers, but this unit that won their only game of the year against Josh Freeman and the Vikings is a long shot from relevancy in the NFL.
Michael Vick will be back under center for the Eagles after surrendering his duties for consecutive weeks to the underwhelming Nick Foles. Vick’s hamstring appears to be healthy, and thus the two-headed monster of Vick and LeSean McCoy returns to full strength for its upcoming battle with New York. Still on pace for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage despite tallying just 55 rushing yards in the team’s loss to Dallas , Mccoy can take advantage of a porous run defense that is allowing over 110 yards per game. The Eagles will set the tempo, and only time will tell if Eli Manning ‘s offense can keep up. They don’t call him the automatic INT machine for nothing, ok maybe that is just my name for him, regardless without a balanced offense, the Giants will continue to struggle.
Prediction: Eagles 28 Giants 20
With the likes of Peyton Hillis and Brandon Jacobs in the backfield for New York, the Giants’ game plan will be picked apart by Billy Davis and the Eagles 3-4 set. The Giants will once again put too much pressure on Eli, and fall victim to the fast-paced Philadelphia offense masterminded by Chip Kelly. New York will be forced to pass far too frequently, and the Eagles will get pressure on Manning behind lackluster pass protection. Philadelphia will return to a .500 win percentage, and get right back in the race for the NFC East. As for the Giants, is anyone really expecting anything at this point? With no rushing offense, no offensive line, and a defense that wouldn’t start in division I-AA, this is a season New York’s fans will want to forget. Sunday will be just another nail in the Giants’ 2013 season’s coffin.